This invention is directed toward barbecue grills and, more particularly to a combination of a drawer and cutting board which is adapted to be attached to the support arms of a standard grill cart.
Gas grills are generally used for outdoor barbecuing. Many of these grills are of the transportable type wherein the grill is attached to a support structure having wheels and handles for pushing the support structure or cart into a storage area. Accordingly, the grill is kept out of inclement weather and is also kept out of the way when not in use. Typically, the carts or supports for holding the grills comprise a flat bottom with wheels whereon the grill is supported. For purposes of pushing the grill around, arms typically extend upward from the flat bottom to a height accessible to the average person and then extend outwardly on a horizontal plane for grasping by that person. The arms are frequently connected by wooden slats or the like which serve the purposes of stabilizing the cart while also acting as a table or the like for supporting grill accessories and/or food.
It is frequently the nature of such slats that there are spaces therebetween. This can make the use of the slats problematic for holding the food and accessories. In place of these wooden slats or the like, flat boards or trays have been used for providing a flat and uniform surface on which to prepare or hold the food. However, for those persons owning the typical cart having the wooden slats, food preparation and the like remain problematic. While different carts have been proposed and invented, none of these inventions are directed toward retrofitting existing wooden slat carts with a flat-top cutting board and drawer for food preparation and accessory storage, respectively.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,541 to Stephen et al. discloses an attachment for a barbecue grill. Within this attachment, the patent shows a frame having a pair of parallel spaced-apart bars extending therefrom. A shelf or serving board is adapted to fit over the bars for providing a surface for food preparation. However, as can be seen from the drawing, the Stephen et al. invention is not adaptable for use with typical wood slat carts nor does it have a drawer for storage of grill accessories.
Design patent No. D 185,035 to Murdoch discloses a portable barbecue unit. Similar to Stephen et al., the unit discloses parallel arms or legs extending from the barbecue cart and a flat surface extending therebetween for use in food preparation or the like. However, again, the unit disclosed in Murdoch is not adaptable for use with the typical wood slat arrangement nor does it appear to have an easily accessible drawer for storage of grilling accessories.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,788 to Schlosser et al. discloses a barbecue kettle cart. The kettle cart includes a wheeled cart member having handles for pushing the same and a grill integrally attached thereto. Arms extend parallel therefrom and have a flat tray or the like extending therebetween for use in food preparation. Again, and as discussed above, however, there is no drawer for storage of grill accessories and the kettle cart tray disclosed in Schlosser is not adaptable for use with the typical wooden slat-type arrangement.
The patent to Meszaros, U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,413 discloses a barbecue grill. The grill has a wheeled cart attached thereto wherein several planar members extend therefrom for use in food preparation and/or the like. In addition, the barbecue in Meszaros includes a drawer attached to the underside of a support. Again, while a drawer and support member are disclosed, it is not adaptable for use with barbecues having the typical wood slat arrangement.
Finally, additional patents to Berger, U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,080; Sampson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,751; and Baynes, U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,896 disclose grills or the like having platforms or storage-type means extending therefrom for use in food preparation and for holding the food. However, in each of these patents, a drawer is lacking and, as discussed above, none of the platforms are adaptable for use with the typical wooden slat cart arrangement.